Washington: The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance by accusing them of failing to safeguard children’s privacy on the social media platform. The legal action represents a significant move in the Biden administration’s ongoing scrutiny of the popular app.
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which mandates that services aimed at children must obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from users under the age of 13.
With approximately 170 million users in the US, TikTok has been at the centre of regulatory and political debate. The company is currently contesting a new law that would compel ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US assets by January 19 or face a potential ban.
The recent lawsuit supported by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeks to address the problem of TikTok’s ‘massive-scale invasions of children’s privacy.’ Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, highlighted the lawsuit as a crucial step towards ensuring that sensitive American data is not exploited by foreign entities.
TikTok responded by disputing the allegations stating that many of the issues raised pertain to past practices that have since been addressed. The company reiterated its commitment to child safety by asserting that, “We are proud of our efforts to protect children, and we will continue to update and improve the platform.”
The European Union and the UK had previously imposed fines on the company for similar privacy concerns. In legislative developments, the US Senate recently passed a bill aiming to extend COPPA protections to cover teenagers up to age 17, prohibit targeted advertising to minors, and provide options for removing personal data from social media.
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